Lubricating apparatus



In the drawings, which il Plame .my io, 192e.

- f UNITED,

J. nUnrHY, or Bri-Annie, Massacnusnrrs, A ssiGNoR, mr EESNE .essieu-#mitra-'ro TH E Bassici: MANUFACTU coaroiiamioiv or DELAWARE.

RING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

LUBRIGATING APPARATUS.

Application tiled August-25, 1925. Serial o. 52,403.

This invention aims to provide improvements in lubricating apparatus andmore particularly though not exclusively for im 4 provenients inlubricant supply cups.

ustrate a prefer-red embodimeiitof my invention Figure 1 is a verticalsection through aA lubricant suppl cup and a portion ofa bearing showingt e relation ofl the working parts ofthe cup wheny lubricant is beingexpelled therefrom,

Figure 2 -is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l showing the valveclosed 'and the cup filled with lubricant.

* Figure 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2 but showing therelation ofthel 'parts of the cup when the valve fails to close during the fillingoperation and Figure 4 is a section onthe -line 4 4 2 0 of Fig. 2.AReferrin to the drawings, I have illustrated a s ow vfeed lubricantsupply cup which is particularly, though not exclusively, useful forlubricating a bearing of Ian autoinobile.

The cup illustrated includes a cylinder 1,. which provides Aa reservoir,`a piston 2 in said cylinder, a valve 3 adjacent to the discharge end ofsaid cylinder anda removable cover 4, to permit access to the artslocated within the cylinder 1. The disc arge end of the cylinder isprovided with a boss 5 to which is threadedly secured a part 6 which isalso connected, at its opposite end,to ag lubricant leads j directl fromthe reservoir4 throughthe boss 5 an part-6 and the valve 3fis locatedbetween the end of the b oss 5 and part 6, the end lof the bossproviding the seat for the valve. The part 6 when associated withtheboss 5 provides a stop 16 for the valve 3,'limiting the opening or`ldownward iiiotionof .said valve. The lower or non-seating portion ofYfthe valve 3 should preferably be so formed that it will not close thepassage 8 when the valve is inl open position, as'shown in Figure 1'.One method of accomplishingvthis result is by providing the lowersurface of the valve 3 with a groove-15, which permits the/valve 3 torest upon the -stop 16 withoutY closing the'passa e 8. 1t will beobvious to those skilled in t e art that any method of' shaping thepassage 8 and lowersurace of bearing 7. A'discharge passage 8 for the,V

"the `valver3 which will permit'the lubricant 55 to low past the valvewhen the valve is open,.w1ll accomplish the same result, and I do notWish to Vlimit inyselflto the construction shown.

-The valve 3 presents a'stem 9-of rela- 00 tively smallervci-oss-sectional area.' than the cross-sect`1onal area of thedischargepassage 8, the stein passin through the discharge passage and exten ingsubstantially`to the top of the reservoir.

The piston 2 surrounds the stem 9 and is slidable relative thereto,while the flexible washer 9 which forms a part ofthe piston 2 isacombination ofa cup leather and hat washer, the hat washer a seal aroundthe stein 9. .i

A plurality of l springs are interposed between the lpiston 2 and thecover 4 for -operatio'n of the valve 3 andthe, piston 2. A large coilspring' 10 presses 1tlie-piston 75 toward the-discharge end'of 'the cup,-a light. lpressure spring. 11 seats against the coverA and has one endpassing 4through the upper end of th/e'/ stein 9 'ofthe v alveind `asmall fspring 12,reltively stronger 'than' the spring 80,

11, is interposed betweentlie piston-2 and the end o/tlrajspring11.:whilr passes throu h the ,st/lem "9. ,This sp/ring 12 permits t epistorLQ/te//passabov'ithe vent 13 located .in .thfvvalllbf thecyliiider1, the purpose of.4 vrkli/iclwvill' be -inore fully hereinafterlescgibedf y f f r 11, //k/liib ricant receiving nipple 14 is securedjto the part 6 -to permit filling the cup from a source of lubricantunder pressure. .90 `Assuming the cup to be empty the piston 2 will beat the discharge end of the reservoir'and the valve 3 will .beheldoperi.- by l the spring 11 'substantially as illustrated in Fig. 1. Thereservoir may be easily and quickly {illed'witli lubricantby connectinga sourcey of lubricant under pressure tothe nipple 14. The lubricantwillflow .through the nipple 14, through the discharge passage .8 pastthe' valve v and into the reservoir, 100 where it will 'act upon thepiston 2 to com`- press the' spring 10 and force the piston upwardly inthe cylinder 1 until the spring 12 engages the'end of the spring 11,which coin.- pressesupoii further movement of the piston, 105 .therebyclosing the valve asillustrated iii.A Fig. 2. After the valve closesthelubricant flows directly to the beariiig'aiid sucieiit' portionproviding/70 pressure ma be exerted upon the lubricant to free thecaring of all dirt or hardened lubricant. Thus, each time that thereservoir islled the bearing may be flushed.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that -during theoperationof charging the reservoir l,v only sufficient pressure need be exertedon the lubricant to'overcome theflow resistance of the lubricant and tocom- .presstliat portion of the spring 'which is tensioned betweenthepiston 2 and the a cap 4.'. The forcevexertedby the spring 11 on thevalve 3 must, ofi course. be -greater than thc resultant'- `thrust ofthe lubricant upon thebottom of the. valve 8.

4If forany reason the valve 3 fails to close, during the fillingoperation, the spring 12 may be compressed to allow the piston to passthe vent 13 thereby permitting the 1u-` bricant to leak out O f thereservoir to indicate that the valve'has, not-'closed and that. the

cup isilled with'lubricant.l This arrangenient also prevents bursting'of the cup by excessive Vpressure of the lubricant when. the

valve fails to close, as best illustrated in i Fig. 3.

After 3 the supply has .been 'disconnected from the nipple 14 thespring-11 acts upon .v the stem 9 to open the valve 3 and thereafter thespring 10 acts upon the piston t o slowly feed the lubricant from thereservoir to the bearing.` .The friction created between the piston 2 onthe inside wall of the cylinder 1 and; the-stem 9 retards the movementof the .piston to such a degree that the lubricant is fed very slowly tothe bearing, thereby preventing wastage of the lubricant.

While Ihave shown and described a preferred embodiment of my inventionit will be understood that .changes involving omission, substitution,alteration and reversal offparts and even changes in the inode ofoperation may bemade without departing from the scope of myinventiomwhich is best .defined in the appending claims.

Claims: l

' l 1.- A lubricant supply cup comprising a reservoir,l a spring pressedclosure 'valvenormallygperinitting passage of lubricant from saidfresei'voir, 'lubricant expelling means in said freservoir movablerelativeto said valve..

.forrslow'ly forcing vtheiliibricant therefrom,

n resilient means interposed between the valve,

the cup, and the lubricant expelling means,

adapted to be compressed by the pressure of lthe lubricant entering saidcup and acting upon said lubricant expelling means to permit'zfillingsaid cup through said valve and to close said valve when said cup. isfilled to a predetermined level.

`2:` A lubricant supply cup; comprising a reservoir, a spring pressedclosure valve normally permitting passage of lubricantfrom freservoir,a-nipple secured to said cup lo. permit filling of said cup from a.source of lubricant under pressure andto permit directpassageof'lubricant'from the source of lubricant under pressureto a bearingafter said cup has been filled, a spring pressed i piston'for slowly'forcing the lubricant from saidreseivoir, and spring means foroontrolling operation of said valve, said cup having a vent in its wall,said spiing means also permitting said piston to be forced past said'vent when-said valve fails to close'.

3. A' slow feed lubricant cup comprising a supply reservoir having adischarge passage lcading from one cud thereof, a closure valve in saiddischarge passage, a stem extending from said valve into said'reservoir, a springliaving one end thereof secured to said stein' tonormally hold said valve inl open position, and a piston slidablerelative to saidstem in said reservoir for forcing lubricant ltherefromand for compressing said spring' to close said valve when said reservoiris -filled with-lubricant through said discharge passage.

4. A slow feed lubricant cup comprising a supply reservoir. having adischarge pas,

sage leading .from one end thereof to a bearing, a lubricant receivingnipple communieating with said discharge passage, a clo- (Tu 5. A slowfeed lubricant cuppcomprising a supply reservoir having avent in thewall thereof, and a discharge passage leading f i-om one end of saidreservoir to a bearing, a lubricant receiving nipple communicatingwithsaid discharge passage, a closure valve in said discharge passagehaving a stein extending into said reservoir, a relatively Weak springnormally maintaining said valve in open position, a spring actuatedlubricant expelling piston slidable upon said stein, and a springsurrounding said stein, said vent being located above the normal levelto which said reservoir is filled, `to provide an lescape for lubricantwhich may be forced to said c'up by failure of saidvalve to close at theproper time.

p 6. A slow feed lubricant'cup vcomprisinga 4'supply reservoir having adischarge passage leadingffrom one end thereof to 'a bearing, alubricant receiving nipple communicating with said. discharge `passage,aclosurevalve in said; discl'iarge passage, a piston in said reservoirreciprocal relative to said valve to force lubricant from saidreservoir, resilient sin4 Lamas? means co-operating with said valve andsaid piston to close said valve When said piston reaches a predeterminedlevel When lubri- -cant is being fed into said cup through said nipple,saidcup having a vent in the wall thereof, said resilient meanspermitting said piston,to pass said vent to permit escape of lubricantif said'valve fails to close.

7. A slow lfeed lubricantccup comprising a reservoir having a dischargepassage leading therefrom, a closure valve in vsaid discharge passagehaving astem extending a Asubstantial distance into said reservoir, anipple communicating With the discharge passage throughl Whichthereservoir may be filled, a piston slidable relative to said stem in saidreservoir, a spring constantly urging said piston toward said dischargepassage, a relatively Weak spring for normally opening said valve, athird spring relatively stronger than said vveak spring between saidpiston and said weak spring and said cup having a vent in' the Wallthereof, said Weak spring adapted to be compressed by the ressur'e ofthe lubricant acting. through sai piston to close `said valve when thelubricant-reaches a predetermined level during the filling opera'- lion,thereby to permit passage ot lubricant V{rom a supply under pressurethroughsaid to. uncover said vent therefrom, a closure valve in saiddischarge A passage having a stem extending a substantial distance intosaid reservoir, a nipple communicating with the discharge'passagethrough which the reservoir may be lilled, a piston' slidable relativeto said stem insaid reservoir, al spring constantly urging said plstontoward sald discharge passage, a relatively Weak spring for normallyopening said valve, a third spring relatively stronger than said Weakspring between said piston and said Weak spring, said cup having a ventin the Wall thereof,l said Weak spring-adapted to be compressed by thepressure of the lul bricant acting through said piston to close saidvalve when the lubricant reaches a predetermined level during thefilling opera' tion', and said third spring adapted vto be compressedthereafter to permit said piston close. i

In testimony whereof,` lt have signed my name to this specification,

Hovvaana; MURPHY.,

if said valve fails to`

